Let's end vocal fry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From the article: "And maybe, just maybe, we should all try to worry less about the way people speak (or dress or...) and instead try to actually listen to and hear what they're saying.
So vocal fry? Don't vocal fry? Do what you want! Because if our crappy earbud headphones have taught us anything, it's that content matters more than the quality of delivery."

Yeah sorry I know this was a posting fail- I like the video but totally disagree with the article. In all parts of life it is not what people say but how they say it. If you uptalk, can't speak with conviction, fry your words, etc I can't take you seriously.

Yes, and I'm a woman in a position to decide whether I hire you, or not.

The 'get a life' PPs may want to consider that.

You wouldn't hire a girl/woman because she speaks with vocal fry? I guess you must be deluged with highly-qualified applicants.

Note that men creak, and men uptalk -- it's just that nobody minds when men do it. They only mind when girls/women do it. Why do you suppose that is?

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=20155

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From the article: "And maybe, just maybe, we should all try to worry less about the way people speak (or dress or...) and instead try to actually listen to and hear what they're saying.
So vocal fry? Don't vocal fry? Do what you want! Because if our crappy earbud headphones have taught us anything, it's that content matters more than the quality of delivery."

Yeah sorry I know this was a posting fail- I like the video but totally disagree with the article. In all parts of life it is not what people say but how they say it. If you uptalk, can't speak with conviction, fry your words, etc I can't take you seriously.

Yes, and I'm a woman in a position to decide whether I hire you, or not.

The 'get a life' PPs may want to consider that.

You wouldn't hire a girl/woman because she speaks with vocal fry? I guess you must be deluged with highly-qualified applicants.

Note that men creak, and men uptalk -- it's just that nobody minds when men do it. They only mind when girls/women do it. Why do you suppose that is?

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=20155

I'm the female dept. head PP back again. Baloney. Uptalking sounds stupid independent of gender. I have a son, he's 12, and you'd better believe I figuratively slap the low-education vocal affectations right out of him when I hear them. To date, he's been guilty of up-talking when telling a long story. I call him on it every time: "And then we went to laser tag? And Aidan was there? And my team had better guns? But we still lost because one wasn't working?"

Uptalking, vocal fry and interminable Uhmmmmmmmms just don't fly in my profession at the higher levels. I only claim to know medicine but I suspect there are other professional settings where the hesistant, hair twirling, faux-ironic voiced applicants also get passed over. None of my State Dept friends uptalk. I've never met a $$ucce$$fuL litigator with that stupid fry.

I find it incredibly amusing that you still think that a majority of people would care whether or not you would hire them for your stupid State Dept job.

[Anonymous]

I work with 20 something's and hate up talk and vocal fry. I must admit, though, that after spending so much time with them I've slipped into using it myself sometimes. And I'm like literally in my 50's. Horrors!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From the article: "And maybe, just maybe, we should all try to worry less about the way people speak (or dress or...) and instead try to actually listen to and hear what they're saying.
So vocal fry? Don't vocal fry? Do what you want! Because if our crappy earbud headphones have taught us anything, it's that content matters more than the quality of delivery."

Yeah sorry I know this was a posting fail- I like the video but totally disagree with the article. In all parts of life it is not what people say but how they say it. If you uptalk, can't speak with conviction, fry your words, etc I can't take you seriously.

Yes, and I'm a woman in a position to decide whether I hire you, or not.

The 'get a life' PPs may want to consider that.

You wouldn't hire a girl/woman because she speaks with vocal fry? I guess you must be deluged with highly-qualified applicants.

Note that men creak, and men uptalk -- it's just that nobody minds when men do it. They only mind when girls/women do it. Why do you suppose that is?

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=20155

I'm the female dept. head PP back again. Baloney. Uptalking sounds stupid independent of gender. I have a son, he's 12, and you'd better believe I figuratively slap the low-education vocal affectations right out of him when I hear them. To date, he's been guilty of up-talking when telling a long story. I call him on it every time: "And then we went to laser tag? And Aidan was there? And my team had better guns? But we still lost because one wasn't working?"

Uptalking, vocal fry and interminable Uhmmmmmmmms just don't fly in my profession at the higher levels. I only claim to know medicine but I suspect there are other professional settings where the hesistant, hair twirling, faux-ironic voiced applicants also get passed over. None of my State Dept friends uptalk. I've never met a $$ucce$$fuL litigator with that stupid fry.

+1000
I think it must be all the vocal-fried, up-talking millenials reading this thread who are so outraged that someone might judge them by their stupid voice affectations.

[Anonymous]

Am I the only person who will admit to having vocal fry? I have a Ph.D. I'm not sure if I've always spoken this way or if it's something new for me. I do listen to a lot of NPR-and I sound like an NPR commentator not a Kardashian. Or I may have unconsciously used the creak to lower my register when I started teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only person who will admit to having vocal fry? I have a Ph.D. I'm not sure if I've always spoken this way or if it's something new for me. I do listen to a lot of NPR-and I sound like an NPR commentator not a Kardashian. Or I may have unconsciously used the creak to lower my register when I started teaching.

I do too, and I also think it has to do with lowering my register for teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here and I find it really annoying when men do it too. There's one commentator in NPR-I can't even listen to him. It's probably generational. I'm a crabby gen-xer.

+1
Men, women... anyone who speaks with that exaggerated uptick or vocal fry will immediately come across as ignorant. No matter what. It's a terrible way of speaking. Those of you defending it clearly have no clue how repugnant it sounds.

Well, I agree that I have no clue how repugnant it sounds TO YOU. However, it doesn't sound repugnant to me. Also, people who uptalk or creak don't come across as ignorant to me. They come across as people who uptalk or creak.

Also, if we all spoke Standard American English all the time, in every circumstance, language would be really boring.

[Anonymous]

There's a difference between vocal fry and using a lower register to speak. I'm a licensed SLP (no longer work in that field) and used to work with people who were trying/in the voice over field. Most women use a lower register for voice overs and commercials. It's a more pleasing, controlled sound. Vocal fry is actually something I've worked with SN kids to eliminate. Whenever my kids have used those affectations, I've come down on them - just like I did when they were using non-standard English (like 'aks'). It's not how educated people speak.

[Anonymous]

I'm normally pretty live and let live when it comes to vocal tics. I grew up with valley girl, and watched my peers outgrow that so when my middle school daughter starts sprinkling "like" everywhere and my younger son can't vocalize a thought without a beginning "ummm" I'm pretty sure they'll outgrow it.

But I listened to a Freakonomics podcast recently that had Jill Abramson in it, and I couldn't finish listening because her voice was so distracting. I had to stop and get the transcript later.

I would have a difficult time working with her because her voice is like nails on a chalkboard. I can understand people preferring to hire people without that vocal trait, now. Prior to hearing her it seemed an over reaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm normally pretty live and let live when it comes to vocal tics. I grew up with valley girl, and watched my peers outgrow that so when my middle school daughter starts sprinkling "like" everywhere and my younger son can't vocalize a thought without a beginning "ummm" I'm pretty sure they'll outgrow it.

But I listened to a Freakonomics podcast recently that had Jill Abramson in it, and I couldn't finish listening because her voice was so distracting. I had to stop and get the transcript later.

I would have a difficult time working with her because her voice is like nails on a chalkboard. I can understand people preferring to hire people without that vocal trait, now. Prior to hearing her it seemed an over reaction.

What is described in this thread and in your post are not vocal tics. They are affectations and habits. A tic is a repetitive motor movement or vocalization that is difficult for a person to suppress. Big difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here and I find it really annoying when men do it too. There's one commentator in NPR-I can't even listen to him. It's probably generational. I'm a crabby gen-xer.

+1
Men, women... anyone who speaks with that exaggerated uptick or vocal fry will immediately come across as ignorant. No matter what. It's a terrible way of speaking. Those of you defending it clearly have no clue how repugnant it sounds.

Well, I agree that I have no clue how repugnant it sounds TO YOU. However, it doesn't sound repugnant to me. Also, people who uptalk or creak don't come across as ignorant to me. They come across as people who uptalk or creak.

Also, if we all spoke Standard American English all the time, in every circumstance, language would be really boring.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Also, if we all spoke Standard American English all the time, in every circumstance, language would be really boring.

I don't think you understand what 'Standard American English' is. There's isn't just one 'standard'. What's standard in New York isn't necessarily standard in LA. Vocal fry is an affectation, not an accent. The way I speak in a professional environment is not how I speak at home in the DC area and how I speak in my midwestern hometown also different. Yet, I speak 'Standard American English' in each environment.

https://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/standardamerican/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here and I find it really annoying when men do it too. There's one commentator in NPR-I can't even listen to him. It's probably generational. I'm a crabby gen-xer.

+1
Men, women... anyone who speaks with that exaggerated uptick or vocal fry will immediately come across as ignorant. No matter what. It's a terrible way of speaking. Those of you defending it clearly have no clue how repugnant it sounds.

Well, I agree that I have no clue how repugnant it sounds TO YOU. However, it doesn't sound repugnant to me. Also, people who uptalk or creak don't come across as ignorant to me. They come across as people who uptalk or creak.

Also, if we all spoke Standard American English all the time, in every circumstance, language would be really boring.

You probably speak in that way (fry, uptalk, creak) and that's why you have no idea how awful it sounds. Everyone around you does, though.

[Anonymous]

I find it incredibly amusing that you still think that a majority of people would care whether or not you would hire them for your stupid State Dept job.

+1!! Are we supposed to be impressed that you invoked the State Department? Please. Bunch of whiny bureaucrats quickly becoming priced out of DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you, OP.

me too